How to Install or Upgrade to Fedora Asahi Remix 44 on Apple Silicon Macs

Introduction

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 is now generally available, bringing Fedora Linux 44 to Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max). This release is the result of close collaboration between the Fedora Asahi Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Asahi Linux project, offering a polished experience with KDE Plasma 6.6 as the flagship desktop, along with GNOME 50 and server variants. If you own an Apple Silicon Mac and want to run Fedora, this guide will walk you through the installation process for a fresh setup or an upgrade from Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43. Follow each step carefully to ensure a smooth transition to the latest release.

What You Need

• Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3 series)
• Stable internet connection
• USB drive (8 GB or larger) for creating a bootable installer
• Another Mac or computer to download the installer image
• Basic familiarity with terminal commands
• Time (approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour for installation)
• Backup of your data (if upgrading from an existing Fedora Asahi installation)

Step-by-Step Guide

Part 1: Fresh Installation

Follow these steps if you are installing Fedora Asahi Remix 44 for the first time on your Apple Silicon Mac.

Step 1: Download the Fedora Asahi Remix 44 Installer

Visit the official Fedora Asahi Remix website and download the latest ISO image for your preferred desktop variant. Options include:

• KDE Plasma (default flagship, featuring Plasma 6.6)
• GNOME (GNOME 50)
• Fedora Server (for headless/server workloads)
• Minimal (for users who want to build their own experience from scratch)

Make sure to download the image that matches your needs. The installer is typically named Fedora-Asahi-Remix-44-*.iso.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive

Use a tool like BalenaEtcher, Rufus, or the dd command to write the ISO to your USB drive. On macOS, you can use:

1. Open Terminal
2. Identify your USB drive with diskutil list
3. Unmount the drive: diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskX (replace X with your disk number)
4. Write the ISO: sudo dd if=/path/to/Fedora-Asahi-Remix-44-*.iso of=/dev/rdiskX bs=1m

Once the process finishes, safely eject the USB drive.

Step 3: Boot from the USB Drive on Your Apple Silicon Mac

• Insert the USB drive into your Apple Silicon Mac.
• Turn on (or restart) the Mac and immediately hold down the Option (⌥) key until you see the Startup Manager.
• Select the external drive (usually labeled “EFI Boot” or “Fedora”) and click the arrow or press Return.

Step 4: Begin the Installation

The system will boot into the Fedora Asahi Remix live environment. You’ll see a welcome screen. Click “Install Fedora Asahi Remix”. The new Plasma Setup wizard (replaces the old Calamares) will guide you through:

• Selecting your language and keyboard layout
• Configuring disk partitioning (you can choose automatic or manual)
• Creating a user account and setting a password
• Choosing time zone

Follow the on-screen prompts. The installer will copy files and configure the system automatically.

Step 5: Reboot and Complete Setup

Once installation finishes, you’ll be prompted to restart. Remove the USB drive when the system shuts down. On reboot, you’ll see the Plasma Login Manager (SDDM replacement) – the new default greeter for new installs. Log in with the credentials you created earlier. Your Fedora Asahi Remix 44 desktop is ready!

Part 2: Upgrading from Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43

If you already have Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43 installed, you can upgrade to version 44 using one of two methods. Note: Upgrading via GNOME Software is not supported.

Option A: Upgrade Using Plasma Discover

1. Open Plasma Discover (the software center).
2. Go to Updates section.
3. Click “Upgrade to Fedora 44” (if available) and follow the prompts.
4. Reboot when prompted.

Option B: Upgrade Using DNF System Upgrade (Terminal)

1. Open a terminal.
2. Update your current system: sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
3. Install the dnf-plugin-system-upgrade package if not already present: sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade
4. Download release packages: sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44
5. Once download completes, run: sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot
6. The system will reboot and perform the upgrade. After completion, log in normally.

Post-Upgrade Checks

After upgrading, verify the version: cat /etc/fedora-release should show Fedora release 44. Also check that your Mesa and virglrenderer packages have been automatically transitioned to upstream versions (the vendored packages are removed in this release). If you encounter any issues, see the Tips section below.

Tips and Troubleshooting

• Backup your data before attempting an upgrade. While the upgrade process is generally safe, unexpected issues can occur.
• Report Remix-specific bugs to the official issue tracker. For general support, visit the Fedora Asahi Discourse forum or join the Matrix room.
• If the Plasma Login Manager doesn’t appear after a fresh install, ensure your system is up to date with sudo dnf upgrade and reboot.
• For headless installations, use the Fedora Server variant and follow the same installation steps; you can skip the desktop setup.
• Minimal image users can install any desktop afterward using sudo dnf groupinstall "KDE Plasma Workspaces" or the GNOME equivalent.
• If the upgrade stalls at the reboot step, force a hard shutdown (hold power button) and restart. On next boot, the upgrade process may resume.
• Check for firmware updates for your Apple Silicon Mac after installation using sudo dnf update.
• Remember: This release retires the vendored Mesa and virglrenderer packages. The transition to upstream versions happens automatically during upgrade, but if you manually installed them, you may need to reinstall.